We are Indonesian citizens, with the support of several international organizations and private citizens of many countries. We have all signed this petition in support of Alexander Aan, an Indonesian civil servant in West Sumatra and a citizen of Indonesia, a democratic country, who was very recently beaten, arrested and charged for Blasphemy under Indonesian law. Many other concerned international citizens have also signed this petition in solidarity with Alexander Aan, asking that the charges against him be dropped and he be immediately released from police custody.

Mr President,

In a speech you made at Harvard in September 2009 entitled “TOWARDS HARMONY AMONG CIVILIZATIONS” you said, “Indonesia too has a significant role to play...We can project the virtue of moderate Islam throughout the Muslim world. We can be the bastion of freedom, tolerance and harmony. We can be a powerful example that Islam, democracy and modernity can go hand in hand.” What a powerful statement. Unfortunately, this prediction has not come true. Shortly after you made this speech, less than 3 years later, Indonesia is far from a 'bastion of freedom, democracy and harmony'.

Some of our group members are Indonesian citizens, born into Islam. Others are Christian, Buddhist and other religions. Some practice their 'faiths', others choose not to. Some have even given up religion altogether. Some of us are married to Indonesian citizens, and some of us have children of mixed heritage. Many of us have family and friends in Indonesia whom we love and care for very much. Others of us have spent extended holidays in Indonesia, with fond memories of the people and the culture. Others yet have lived and worked in Indonesia for many years. Even more of our group dream of visiting Indonesia some day, wishing to learn more about the history, the many languages, experience the country's natural beauty, and everything the country has to offer. However, the recent beating, arrest and charges brought against Alexander Aan now make us hesitate, fearful even for our own safety, wondering 'Will we be safe when visiting Indonesia?'. Every single one of us, Indonesian and non-Indonesian, who have signed this petition care a great deal about the people of Indonesia, their safety, their freedoms and human rights, as well as our own as guests in your country.

We are all, for so many reasons, very concerned and upset to hear of the recent attack and arrest of Alex Aan, who has done nothing but express his own personal beliefs. This is deeply disturbing and disappointing. Alex was violently attacked by a group of irresponsible, irrational people simply for posting ‘God does not exist’ on his Facebook page, subsequently arrested, and is now facing the very real possibility of a 5-year jail sentence under the Indonesian Blasphemy Law.

This is clearly a setback for all of us who have struggled for and embraced freedom, democracy, and human rights since the fall of the dictatorship in 1998. It is crushing to realize that all we have worked and hoped for is in vain in the face of such laws. Indonesia's economy also relies very heavily on foreign investment which provides many Indonesian citizens with jobs, as well as our tourism industry which is seriously affected every time the world hears about more violence and intolerance in our country.

Indonesia had, in the past, joined other civilized democracies in showing its leadership related to human rights by signing and ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on 23 February 2006.

Article 18 of the ICCPR stipulates that ‘everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.’ It also stipulates that ‘no one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.’

Article 19 of the ICCPR specifies that ‘everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference’. In addition, it also stipulates that ‘everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds....through any media of his choice.’

The tragedy that has befallen Alex Aan is a sad reminder that the Indonesian government has failed to fulfill its international human rights obligations to its own citizens under ICCPR articles 18 and 19, which our government voluntarily agreed to sign and ratify in 2006, nearly 6 years ago. Why?

We are all, Indonesians and non-Indonesians alike, concerned that this will result in further damage to Indonesia’s reputation internationally, damaging not only our society as a whole, but our economy as well. We are also fearful that this will turn Indonesia and our people away from our collective vision of building a peaceful, tolerant, and open-minded democracy, where justice and reason prevail.

However, these negative effects do not need to happen. As the President of the Republic of Indonesia, you have the power to change the outcome of this situation, to mold the future of our country, and to lead us in building the kind of society we have been struggling for so very long.

We therefore urge you to:

Ensure that the perpetrators of the attack on Alex’s Aan be publicly condemned, that charges brought against those involved, and have these people brought to justice for taking the law - our law - into their own hands. We also ask that you release Alexander Aan from jail and that all charges against him under the Indonesian Blasphemy Law be dropped.

Alex never tried to harm others through his personal beliefs. He has never tried to prevent others from believing in their own faith. Nor did he coerce others to believe in his own personal convictions. What he did was simply openly express his own personally held beliefs, in a democratic country - Indonesia. Despite the fact that his beliefs might not be the same as the majority of people in Indonesia, and despite the fact that many people disagree with him and wish to see him punished and treated as a criminal, doing so - expressing and being true to his own personal beliefs - is his fundamental right that is guaranteed under International Human Rights Law, which Indonesia had agreed to sign and ratify in 2006.

We also implore you to immediately initiate the processes that would result in the review of the Blasphemy Law in Indonesia, and ultimately its abolishment. The law is often and regularly misused by vigilante groups as a means to oppress Indonesian citizens in their freedom of religion and to rob minority religious groups in Indonesia of their basic human rights and freedoms. This is also a law that has been used as a means to promote mob violence and intimidation against those who do not agree with or bow under the pressure of the illegal means which these vigilante groups use. How long must Indonesia and its people be held hostage in this manner? The on-going persecution of the Ahmadiyah, Shiah, Christians and other minority groups at the hands of a small majority of religious hardliners has shown that many radical groups feel free and very much safe in openly using violence as retaliation against 'blasphemy', 'deviance', and 'heresy', using the 'law' to justify their very crimes. Rather than fostering a peaceful environment based on trust, respect, and openness, the Blasphemy Law produces a climate of fear, division and tension between the many Indonesian community groups.

This is the time for change in Indonesia. A country the world looks to being a tolerant and peaceful, harmonious nation, free of intimidation, violence and fear, as you promised in 2009, and change in you, Mr. President.

Sincerely, Petition Signers

With the Official Support of:

Atheist Alliance International (AAI) Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) FaithFreedom International (FFI) Support Alex Aan's Human Rights (SAAHR) Political Atheists and Agnostics

We are Indonesian citizens, with the support of several international organizations and private citizens of many countries. We have all signed this petition in support of Alexander Aan, an Indonesian civil servant in West Sumatra and a citizen of Indonesia, a democratic country, who was very recently beaten, arrested and charged for Blasphemy under Indonesian law. Many other concerned international citizens have also signed this petition in solidarity with Alexander Aan, asking that the charges against him be dropped and he be immediately released from police custody.

Mr President,

In a speech you made at Harvard in September 2009 entitled “TOWARDS HARMONY AMONG CIVILIZATIONS” you said, “Indonesia too has a significant role to play...We can project the virtue of moderate Islam throughout the Muslim world. We can be the bastion of freedom, tolerance and harmony. We can be a powerful example that Islam, democracy and modernity can go hand in hand.” What a powerful statement. Unfortunately, this prediction has not come true. Shortly after you made this speech, less than 3 years later, Indonesia is far from a 'bastion of freedom, democracy and harmony'.

Some of our group members are Indonesian citizens, born into Islam. Others are Christian, Buddhist and other religions. Some practice their 'faiths', others choose not to. Some have even given up religion altogether. Some of us are married to Indonesian citizens, and some of us have children of mixed heritage. Many of us have family and friends in Indonesia whom we love and care for very much. Others of us have spent extended holidays in Indonesia, with fond memories of the people and the culture. Others yet have lived and worked in Indonesia for many years. Even more of our group dream of visiting Indonesia some day, wishing to learn more about the history, the many languages, experience the country's natural beauty, and everything the country has to offer. However, the recent beating, arrest and charges brought against Alexander Aan now make us hesitate, fearful even for our own safety, wondering 'Will we be safe when visiting Indonesia?'. Every single one of us, Indonesian and non-Indonesian, who have signed this petition care a great deal about the people of Indonesia, their safety, their freedoms and human rights, as well as our own as guests in your country.

We are all, for so many reasons, very concerned and upset to hear of the recent attack and arrest of Alex Aan, who has done nothing but express his own personal beliefs. This is deeply disturbing and disappointing. Alex was violently attacked by a group of irresponsible, irrational people simply for posting ‘God does not exist’ on his Facebook page, subsequently arrested, and is now facing the very real possibility of a 5-year jail sentence under the Indonesian Blasphemy Law.

This is clearly a setback for all of us who have struggled for and embraced freedom, democracy, and human rights since the fall of the dictatorship in 1998. It is crushing to realize that all we have worked and hoped for is in vain in the face of such laws. Indonesia's economy also relies very heavily on foreign investment which provides many Indonesian citizens with jobs, as well as our tourism industry which is seriously affected every time the world hears about more violence and intolerance in our country.

Indonesia had, in the past, joined other civilized democracies in showing its leadership related to human rights by signing and ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on 23 February 2006.

Article 18 of the ICCPR stipulates that ‘everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.’ It also stipulates that ‘no one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.’

Article 19 of the ICCPR specifies that ‘everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference’. In addition, it also stipulates that ‘everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds....through any media of his choice.’

The tragedy that has befallen Alex Aan is a sad reminder that the Indonesian government has failed to fulfill its international human rights obligations to its own citizens under ICCPR articles 18 and 19, which our government voluntarily agreed to sign and ratify in 2006, nearly 6 years ago. Why?

We are all, Indonesians and non-Indonesians alike, concerned that this will result in further damage to Indonesia’s reputation internationally, damaging not only our society as a whole, but our economy as well. We are also fearful that this will turn Indonesia and our people away from our collective vision of building a peaceful, tolerant, and open-minded democracy, where justice and reason prevail.

However, these negative effects do not need to happen. As the President of the Republic of Indonesia, you have the power to change the outcome of this situation, to mold the future of our country, and to lead us in building the kind of society we have been struggling for so very long.

We therefore urge you to:

Ensure that the perpetrators of the attack on Alex’s Aan be publicly condemned, that charges brought against those involved, and have these people brought to justice for taking the law - our law - into their own hands. We also ask that you release Alexander Aan from jail and that all charges against him under the Indonesian Blasphemy Law be dropped.

Alex never tried to harm others through his personal beliefs. He has never tried to prevent others from believing in their own faith. Nor did he coerce others to believe in his own personal convictions. What he did was simply openly express his own personally held beliefs, in a democratic country - Indonesia. Despite the fact that his beliefs might not be the same as the majority of people in Indonesia, and despite the fact that many people disagree with him and wish to see him punished and treated as a criminal, doing so - expressing and being true to his own personal beliefs - is his fundamental right that is guaranteed under International Human Rights Law, which Indonesia had agreed to sign and ratify in 2006.

We also implore you to immediately initiate the processes that would result in the review of the Blasphemy Law in Indonesia, and ultimately its abolishment. The law is often and regularly misused by vigilante groups as a means to oppress Indonesian citizens in their freedom of religion and to rob minority religious groups in Indonesia of their basic human rights and freedoms. This is also a law that has been used as a means to promote mob violence and intimidation against those who do not agree with or bow under the pressure of the illegal means which these vigilante groups use. How long must Indonesia and its people be held hostage in this manner? The on-going persecution of the Ahmadiyah, Shiah, Christians and other minority groups at the hands of a small majority of religious hardliners has shown that many radical groups feel free and very much safe in openly using violence as retaliation against 'blasphemy', 'deviance', and 'heresy', using the 'law' to justify their very crimes. Rather than fostering a peaceful environment based on trust, respect, and openness, the Blasphemy Law produces a climate of fear, division and tension between the many Indonesian community groups.

This is the time for change in Indonesia. A country the world looks to being a tolerant and peaceful, harmonious nation, free of intimidation, violence and fear, as you promised in 2009, and change in you, Mr. President.